How much do Materials Scientists make in Nashville compared to the national average?

The national median Materials Scientist salary is $98,000. In Nashville, COL adjustments bring the median to $98,000.

How do I negotiate a Materials Scientist salary in Nashville?

Materials Scientists in Nashville earn $76,000 to $128,000. Anchor your ask near the 75th percentile to land at the median.

Materials Scientist.

Nashville.

$98,000

median salary, at the national average

$76,000 to $128,000. Updated for 2026.

Get your playbook

The numbers.

Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.

The median Materials Scientist salary in Nashville is $98,000, right at the national average. Entry level starts near $76,000. Experienced professionals push past $128,000. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. That spread is your negotiation window.

Salary range

25th Percentile

$76,000

per year

Median

$98,000

per year

75th Percentile

$128,000

per year

Tap to place your salary

$76,000$128,000

How Nashville compares

Nashville, TN

$98,000

Cost of living: at average

National Average

$98,000

Same as local rate

What you should know

Before you negotiate a Materials Scientist offer in Nashville, understand the terrain. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. The city is home to HCA Healthcare and a growing corridor of health tech startups. Nashville's moderate cost of living, combined with Tennessee's lack of state income tax on wages, makes it increasingly popular for corporate relocations and remote workers. Industry sector and degree level create the widest pay gaps. PhD holders in semiconductor, battery, or advanced composites research earn 25 to 40% more than those with bachelor's degrees. National lab and defense roles add clearance premiums. Expertise in characterization techniques like electron microscopy and spectroscopy boosts marketability.

Entry-level materials scientists start at $76,000 to $88,000 with a master's degree. Senior scientists earn $98,000 to $128,000 after five to eight years. Research directors and principal scientists reach $135,000 to $180,000, with fellows at top labs exceeding $200,000. In Nashville, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.

Base salary is not the full picture. Corporate R&D labs offer bonuses of 8 to 15% and patent bonuses of $2,000 to $5,000 per filing. National labs provide federal benefits, pension contributions, and relocation packages. Semiconductor firms add equity grants worth $10,000 to $35,000 annually. And on the tax side: tennessee has no state income tax on wages or salaries. This gives Nashville workers a meaningful take home advantage over peers in states with 5 to 10% income tax rates. When someone quotes you $98,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Use the healthcare industry concentration as leverage. Nashville healthcare employers are accustomed to national pay scales and will often match or beat coastal health sector offers. The range for Materials Scientists in Nashville runs from $76,000 to $128,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Top industries in Nashville

HealthcareMusic & EntertainmentFinance & InsuranceTechnologyTourism

Negotiating in Nashville

Use the healthcare industry concentration as leverage. Nashville healthcare employers are accustomed to national pay scales and will often match or beat coastal health sector offers.

Common questions.

For R&D leadership and principal scientist positions, a PhD is typically required and adds $20,000 to $40,000 over master's holders. Industry roles in quality or process engineering are accessible with a master's but cap lower.

Battery materials, semiconductor thin films, and advanced polymer composites are the highest-demand specializations. The energy transition and chip manufacturing expansion are driving 10 to 15% annual salary growth in these niches.

The national median for a Materials Scientist is $98,000. In Nashville, cost of living adjustments push the median to $98,000. That discount reflects Nashville's lower housing, transportation, and everyday costs.

Lead with data: Materials Scientists in Nashville earn $76,000 to $128,000, so anchoring your ask near $128,000 gives room to land at the median. Use the healthcare industry concentration as leverage. Nashville healthcare employers are accustomed to national pay scales and will often match or beat coastal health sector offers. Never accept the first number without a conversation.

Tennessee has no state income tax on wages or salaries. This gives Nashville workers a meaningful take home advantage over peers in states with 5 to 10% income tax rates. When comparing offers across states, your take home pay matters more than the number on the offer letter. A lower salary in a no income tax state can net more than a higher one elsewhere.